Daily Life inside a Book

UK-based artist Kyle Kirkpatrick carves pages from reading books to make “imaginary landscapes.” He uses miniature figures to setup a fictional living environment. “I myself see books as a fountain of knowledge that can inspire, inform and provoke imagination,” [1] states Kirkpatrick.

My practice is primarily concerned with the notion of the imagined landscape. I present man-made objects and natural materials simultaneously to form carefully and meticulously composed installation works. I capitalize on intrigue taking objects out of context reinventing their use, pushing the viewer to see beyond what I present before them, a glass could be interpreted as a lake or a metal bracket a cliff. The materiality of the objects that I place before the viewer and the dissemination of them is integral to the reading of the work. There is a strong dialogue between the materials and their placement within the space.

Underpinning my practice are a series of tensions, playing with the idea of the familiar vs. the unfamiliar, the upturned glass of water an example of this. Elements are supported, propped and pushed against each other in order to create these tensions. The very existence of the work as I present it is under jeopardy from the moment I place it in the space. There is a play off between the calm considered, structured composition and the tension caused by just the slightest interference from the viewer. The spectator looks on knowing that even their smallest intrusion on the work could cause a catastrophe, breaking or fracturing its existence.

Adriana is the Webby-winning designer and editor-in-chief of Scene360 magazine. She's created successful projects over the course of 20 years in the fields of art, design, fashion and web. Currently dividing her time between Lisbon and San Francisco. Follow the author @Instagram Facebook and view more articles.